My new pet

I was fortunate enough to make my way into a tigers cage and snuggle up with him… and come out with all my limbs attached. I have been wanting to do this ever since I can remember! What better place than Thailand?

Washing away all of my responsibilities.

Before I came to Thailand, I made a complete list of things I wanted to accomplish while in Thailand. So far I have gotten a lot accomplished. Hopefully by the end of this experience I will have fulfilled my goal. I will post pictures of the items on my bucket list as I complete them. Stay tuned!

While Season Eighters are busy bucket listing their pre-departure To Do’s, Season 7′s cast has been getting closer to bucket list domination with a few setbacks and close calls.  So far we’ve ridden bikes through farm country,  been featured in the Italian news, saw Venice by Gondola, and made pasta from scratch.  But we won’t be complete until all 10 items are crossed off.  Here’s where we’re hitting a wall:

Nutella hotness

#8: Take a Nutella bath
Nutella bath parties do exist in Italy and they are thrown by the unofficial Italian mayor of gelato, Antonio Cafiero. His famous gelateria on Corso Italia in Sorrento is dripping with photos of hot Nutella-covered babes. We asked him the date of his next “Festa di Nutella” and he said to check back later. When we came back later he was being yelled at by his 7-year-old daughter in the middle of the tourist-laden street so…that’s where we stand on that.

Look at her...

#9: Fit the cast in a vintage Fiat 500
In Quito Beetles rule the road, in Italy, it’s this little beut, the Fiat Cinquecento.  Infatuation doesn’t begin to explain my love for it.  When I get married, it’s the car I want to tie cans to.  I’ve even looked into buying one in the States.  They are scarce. It’s so compact and clown car-ish that I’m jonesing to hitch our cast a ride. We’ve seen a bunch on the road, but no one who actually owns one and is willing to part with it.

And the quest continues…

Being a model is harder than I thought.

Days to departure: Approx 22
Money saved: Don’t ask, don’t tell

They say vanity kills, but I say beauty never dies.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for about 11 years now, on and off, and it’s a world of dreams. If you manage to meet the right people and speak your truth, you can manage to make at least one of those dreams come true. True, the impossible seems possible in this city, where you can surf and ski in the same day if you wanted. Oh, but you want to be a model? Okay. Done.

I’m a photographer so being behind the camera is no thang, but I’ve always wanted to be in front of the camera, I’m not gonna lie. So, in the spirit of The Angels, I give you my second entry on my L.A. pre-departure bucket list: Become a Model. (In addition to everyone involved in this shoot, I respectfully thank my Mom and Dad for their genetic mash-up and my brother for his sweater.)

Photographer: Marilyn Nakazato (add her on Facebook)
Models: Tashina and Tyler

You, too, can make it in Hollywood!

I know. So lame. So tourist-y. But hey, it’s pretty damn iconic. I mean, look at how BIG those letters are! H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D!

Ok, fine. It’s not the most thrilling thing in the world, but think of all the people who would love to do this. I wanted to put myself in their shoes and see what the big deal is. And when you hike up that mountain (metaphor implied) you realize that something that seemed so distant, so unattainable, is right there at your fingertips. (Hi, Jet Set Zero-dream-come-true.)

So there! To all those jaded locals: An icon is an icon – pay your respects, because who knows how long you’ll be here. I sure as hell don’t.

Pageantry is serious business in Italy and Miss Italia regionals are happening all summer long.   But crashing a pageant is proving more difficult than expected — we just don’t seem to be in the right place at the right time.

In San Giuseppe Vesuviana, we were two days late for Miss Vesuvio and in Positano, a day early for Miss Mondo.  Poster posing will have to do for now, but we’re on the right trail…

We missed miss mondo in Positano

She's a natural

A Southern Italian mom's heaven.

When I said I wanted to gain ten pounds on pasta in Italy, I didn’t actually want the lbs to produce a double chin in my last pictures from the trip (which is inconveniently in the Amalfi Coast, where I only wear bathing suits). But here I am at week six in carb country and I’m 6 pounds heavier than when I left the States. I’m just about pasta-ed out, but before heading out of the country, the Jet Set Italy crew wanted to learn the secret to making chewy spindles of pasta so we can star at future dinner parties. If I’m going to be chubby, I’m bringing you all down with me.
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Pimp my Gondola Ride

Squeezing under a low-hanging bridge on the real "streets" of Venice

Amongst sinuous canals, hair-skimmingly low bridges and floating garage doors, touristy Venice is restored to its roots. Our gondolier spoke only a few choice English words, including “water” and “Elvis.” (As a former crew coxswain, I identified with him despite the language barrier.) Partially submerged art peeped out from around canal corners; Madonna dolls waved from windows; and a bit of moldy graffiti sprang from the river, giving the quaint setting a (slightly) modern edge. (more…)

Fashion expert I’m not, but I’m pretty sure this summer’s floral fashion trend was inspired by the Italian Muumuu. You know the one…extra-large, floral, aprony dress worn by bosomy Southern Italian women everywhere.  It’s a quintessential piece of Italian summer fashion, which is why we must find the ultimate Muumuu before we’re shipped off.

The too expensive $10 Muumuus

The requirements:

• Must be one size fits all
• Must be floral and at least four colors
• Must be $5 or less
• Must have a pocket where we can store snacks like apricots and packets of squeezy Nutella
• Must accessorize well with nude colored knee-highs and orthopedic shoes

I went on a solo muumuu mission at an outdoor market in Lanuvio and found some top contenders, but they were WAY out of the jet set ZERO budget at 20 bucks a pop.  The good news is that Lynne and I are heading south again this weekend to meet up with Sarah and Perrin in the heart of Muumuu country:  CAMPANIA.

The Muumuu Truck

Hot off the presses, bucket list #2:  Appear on the Italian news.

A week in Italian for the youngest Italian Children

Ok, so technically we’re not on the news, we’re in the news, and technically our names aren’t in the article, nor does it mention anything about how freaking cool Jet Set Zero is.  But last week our faces made it into Arezzo’s Nuovo Coriere Aretino newspaper.  That sort of counts for a bucket list win.   I’m on the far left holding the stars and stripes and Lynne’s on the far right, stuck holding the English flag.  Seems Scotlish pride was cut from the budget this year.

We’re not giving up on this BL item yet.  Sarah and Perrin are shaking things up at a nunnery in Salerno, while Lynne and I are stalking jornalists in Nettuno.  If all else fails, we may just have to sneak into Rai.  Stay close.